1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed generally to Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) systems. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus, system and method of using RFID systems to help blind and/or visually-impaired-individuals function in a modern society without the help of canes and seeing-eye dogs.
2. Description of Related Art
RFID is a technology that places identification data on small tags to be read by computers attached to antennas. An RFID system typically consists of a radio-enabled device that communicates with (i.e., interrogates) a tag or label, which contains a chip attached to an antenna. The chip and the antenna together are called a transponder. The chip contains the RF circuitry and information to be transmitted. The antenna enables the chip to transmit the information to the device.
In operation, the radio-enabled device, which is also known as a reader, sends out electromagnetic waves to the tag. The tag antenna is tuned to receive these waves. The tag, which is usually passive (i.e., un-powered), draws power from the electromagnetic waves and uses it to power the chip's circuit. Upon receiving the electromagnetic waves, the chip retrieves the stored information and passes it to the reader in the form of modulated radio waves. The reader converts the modulated radio waves into digital data.
Recently, RFID systems have been used to help the blind and the visually-impaired. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs has now started to place RFID tags on prescriptions. The tags contain sufficient information to be able to convey the drug name, instructions, warnings, etc. to a reader. A talking RFID reader is used to supply the information to a blind or visually-impaired person.
Further, in METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IDENTIFYING AN OBJECT AND ANNOUNCING A VOICE MESSAGE, by Krukowski et al. US Patent Application No. 20020121986 A1 (application Ser. No. 10/067,504) filed on Feb. 7, 2002 and published on Sep. 5, 2002, a method by which objects are identified and the identification of which is supplied in audible voice to the blind and the visually-impaired is disclosed. The method includes the steps of attaching an RFID tag that contains a code to an object and correlating a voice message to the code. The voice message is then stored in memory. When the code is read from the RFID tag, the voice message is obtained from memory and provided to a blind or visually-impaired person.
In the disclosure of the patent application mentioned above, which is incorporated herein by reference, as well as in the case of the Department of Veterans Affairs, a rather limited aspect of RFID systems is used to help the blind and the visually-impaired.
What is needed, therefore, is a system, apparatus and method of making broader uses of RFID systems to help the blind and the visually-impaired.